Transparent plastic films such as TAC and PET films are known as photographic supports, and papers, synthetic papers, plastic films containing a white pigment, glass plates and metal plates (such as an aluminum plate having a surface processed by anodic oxidation) are known as reflective materials. To improve the whiteness of the support, it has been proposed to mix or to incorporate a fine powder of a metal oxide or an inorganic compound (such as titanium oxide, barium sulfate or magnesium oxide) as a sizing agent in the surface layer of the support. However, when the whiteness of the support is increased, the sharpness of the image is usually reduced, while the white reproducibility is improved. To solve this problem, it has been proposed to incorporate an anti-irradiation dye in a silver halide-containing photosensitive layer provided on the support or to provide an antihalation layer.
Further, so-called Daguerreotype has been known since the early nineteenth century. In this method, gaseous iodine is sprayed over a well polished silver plate to form an AgI layer by the chemical reaction and the development is conducted with gaseous mercury after the image exposure to form a photographic image. However, this method has defects that, since the silver plate used as the support is not well prepared and it is subjected directly to the chemical processes, the surface of the silver plate is stained and its initial mirror plane cannot be maintained and that since the silver/mercury image is deposited directly on the silver surface to mask the surface, the obtained image has only poor brighteness and sharpness.
When a photographic material comprising ordinary emulsion layers formed on an aluminum support having the surface having a metallic gloss which highly reflects the light is used, the obtained image is only slightly lighter than that obtained by using a baryta paper. When microcapsules of a silver halide emulsion are applied to the support to form a single layer, bright transparent grains could be seen (see, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 49-33783). The iamge thus formed cannot be seen easily due to the reflected light and very small flaws on the surface become conspicuous unfavorably.
Further, it is known to provide an antistatic layer of a metal such as aluminum or chromium by vacuum deposition (for example, British Pat. No. 1340403 and Japanese Patent Publication Nos. 59-41573 and 59-10420). However, these publications are silent on the improvement in or relating to the reproduction of the images and they have no relation with the present invention.
By the way, ordinary color photosensitive materials comprise, on a support (such as a film, film containing a white pigment, paper, e.g. baryta paper or paper having water-resistant resin layers on both surfaces), an antihalation layer, red-sensitive layer, green-sensitive layer, yellow filter layer, blue-sensitive layer, protective layer, etc. suitably. To form an excellent color image, investigations were made in or relating to transparency and reduction in the thickness of the layers, layer structure, prevention of irradiation or halation, spectral absorbing characters of colored dyes prepared from color couplers and transparency of the matrial. For improving particularly the sharpness, the silver halide emulsions such as halogen compositions and grain size are selected so as to exhibit the interlayer effects in the development, and investigations of the layer structure are made. It was proposed also that a material which releases a compound having an effect of inhibiting or accelerating the development in the color development step is used. However, they are yet insufficient particularly when a color image is formed on a reflective support such as a color photographic printing paper.
It is known that a bright image can be obtained by using a photosensitive material prepared by applying microcapsules of a silver halide emulsion on an aluminum substrate surface which reflects a light well and which has a metallic gloss (see, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 49-33783). However, although the brightness of the image thus obtained by using the photosensitive material comprising, on the aluminum support, a laminate of ordinary emulsion layers is improved slightly, it is yet unsatisfactory. It is known also that the image thus formed cannot be seen easily due to the reflected light and that very small flaws on the surface become conspicuous unfavorably.
A lithographic plate comprising, on an aluminum support, silver halide emulsion layers is known (see, for example, British Pat. No. 1227603 and Japanese Patent Public Disclosure No. 54-90053). The aluminum support used in the lithography has the surface processed by, for example, graining and, therefore, it does not have the above-described effects. Under these circumstances, processes for overcoming the defects by, for example, preventing the halation have been proposed (for example, Japanese Patent Public Disclosure No. 54-124927). Further, color image-forming materials do not have these effects. It is also known that a layer of a metal such as aluminum or chromium is formed by vacuum deposition for obtaining antistatic effects (for example, British Pat. No. 130403, and Japanese Patent Publication Nos. 59-41573 and 59-10420). However, they are silent on the improvement of the color image and they have no relation with the present invention.